Sludge Metal

I have read a lot of it, but till today I don't know exactly what it is, like, Black Flag's My War is Sludge, The Ocean is Sludge, Alice in Chains is Sludge, either COC is.Can you explain what is your vision about it.

Sludge is what Crowbar pioneered: slow punk/rock with metally riffs. It's also a newer variant which is Neurosis/Converge inspired and sounds like late punk and post-metal having an ugly, droning, kind of boring baby.

Sludge is what Crowbar pioneered: slow punk/rock with metally riffs. It's also a newer variant which is Neurosis/Converge inspired and sounds like late punk and post-metal having an ugly, droning, kind of boring baby.

I think that have cool bands in sludge like The Ocean, but there other that is a idiot shit.

Melvins (early releases only - 'Houdini' and previous)Grief Corrupted (I'm stretching here...this band only slightly falls under the sludge category)

That's about it. Most bands really just go for the NOLA sound which is so overdone. I guess I like sludge when it resembles doom more than sludge. I've heard good things about Bongripper, and admittedly an instrumental doom/sludge band sounds intriguing. Anyone got an opinion on them here?

Sludge is in development, last decade, sludge was a shit, whit country/blues influence, but now it is backing to its roots, as doom, hardcore punk and extreme metal (grind/death/black/thrash). Sludge is turning more musical, when it was only "music".

Everyone praises eyehategod up and down. I don't get it. They sound like a faux intense Black Sabbath imitator with annoying vocals. I must be too shallow and pedantic to "get" it.

Seems like you get it just fine. They have a couple of decent riffs here and there but overall your post is an accurate enough description. Due to the combined problems of nearly all late 90s onwards metal being crap and a massive influx of fans who could not tell the difference between a good song and a bad one, any band that came out with something that sounded like it may have potential (or aped the past) got a lot of attention. Some of these bands have become fake `classics` which no one will remember in 20 years.

Metal seems to attract a particular breed of hipster nerd with liberal politics, high intelligence and subsequently, a need to categorize and systemize. They also have a high openness to experience, which translates into being novelty seekers. They want that next new, or old undiscovered metal gem (or even genre). They will give you pages and pages of opinions that are utterly meaningless, and as a result of this meaninglessness a number of them hold the position that musical quality (and therefore opinion) is entirely subjective. Metal fans are its worst enemy, no joke, no hyperbole.

Crowbar are very cool, and Neurosis have stayed consistent after delving into this style.

I really like Acid Bath. Haunting Metal with the same cold and unsettling atmosphere as The Doors, or perhaps a pessimist version of Danzig's "how the gods kill." Their vocalist Dax Riggs now plays hit-or-miss indie pop, which is certainly better than passing it off as Metal, at the very least.

What is one sludge album that is excellent? I mean truly excellent. Is there one?

While they're not EXACTLY sludge, I would give an 'excellent' rating to Corrupted's "El Mundo Frio". It's a B+/A- album consisting of one track, which stretches an hour. There's some sludge, mixed with a bit of doom, atmospheric sections which include tasteful integration of a wind harp to compliment melodies on clean guitar - all organized into a thoughtful package. It can drag a little bit, perhaps a few minutes at the end should've been cut off, but overall it's a release that I have kept for quite a few years now. For the most part the band's ability to provide contrast and build tension are apt. It's best experienced in one sitting.

I listen to it about every month. I've gotten some other material of theirs and while it's good, it doesn't measure up to "El Mundo Frio".

Optionally, Grief's "Come to Grief" is kind of what Eyehategod is going for, but far more effective. This one's a personal favorite but I'm unsure of the reception it will have here.

Thanks, I enjoyed the Neurosis album you recommended in a different thread so I will definitely check out El Mundo Frio. I have listened to ...and Man will become the hunted by Grief which was bad. If you have heard that, how does it compare to Come to?

Thanks, I enjoyed the Neurosis album you recommended in a different thread so I will definitely check out El Mundo Frio. I have listened to ...and Man will become the hunted by Grief which was bad. If you have heard that, how does it compare to Come to?

I haven't - I can't give you an opinion. I'll have to check out that album though.

Grief - "Come to Grief" and "Torso" are great if you are looking for sludgy stuff. Very depressive (in the bitter, frustrated kind of way, not the emo kind of way) and nihilistic lyrics. The "riffs" kind of suck and the instrumental prowess is null, so I don't listen to those albums any more but I used to when I was first feeling my way around different metallic styles.

Also from my past listening - Isis - "Oceanic" and "Panopticon", tagged as "thinking man's metal", is really just nice heavy stoner rock without the blues riffs. Or you could say it is anti-technical metalcore, lacking the schizophrenic composition that makes most metalcore unlistenable. Good for drawing or writing or driving but really not engaging all on its own for me. Most enjoyable at high volume, when stoned, while playing chess with a friend or reading non-fiction. Probably will scratch the sludge itch, and is way more uplifting than Black Flag or Grief.